Six Elements of Vocal Variety and How to Master Them Part 1- Volume

What Is Vocal Variety?

Vocal variety is just one of nine key components of effective speaking, but it is often ignored or misunderstood. In this series of posts, I’d like to look at this important topic in greater detail and show you how you can improve your impact and engagement by learning how to harness the full power of your voice.

While the words you choose to deliver are undoubtedly important, they way you say them plays a significant role in your ability to engage and influence your audience.

“A carefully crafted speech can be ruined by a dull vocal delivery.”

As its name suggests, the term vocal variety relates to the way you speak, and it can be broken down into several elements, including:

Volume (Loudness)

Pitch (Rise and Fall)

Pace (Rate)

Pause (Silence)

Resonance (Timbre)

Intonation

Vary your volume

Common speaking volume errors

Speaking too quietlyIf your audience has to strain to hear you they will miss vital information. If the problem continues, they will inevitably stop listening and do something less tiring – like thinking about lunch!

Speaking too loudlyIf the average speaking volume is too high, your audience will feel as though you are shouting at them and you will almost certainly put them off, no matter how compelling your messages.

Speaking at a constant volumeListen carefully to a natural conversation, and you will hear plenty of variation in volume as we emphasise certain points in our tale, yet put somebody on a platform in front of a group of colleagues and that natural variation in loudness will often disappear. The physical tension when we feel when under pressure restricts our vocal range.

Allowing your volume to drop off at the end of each sentenceSome speakers develop the bad habit of letting their volume drop off as they approach the end of each sentence. This practice means that their audience will miss critical information and will feel that the speaker lacks energy and conviction.

How to develop your vocal variety in this area

Having worked with thousands of clients like you, I have noticed that speech volume problems usually come down to two main causes. The first is physical tension caused by fear. Thankfully there are lots of tools available to help you overcome your fear of public speaking. The second is something that I call a limited vocal comfort zone. What this means is that people often develop the habit of using a fraction of their full vocal range but are not aware of it. This, in turn, leads to limiting self-beliefs like “I am just a quiet speaker” or “I don’t do loud.”

“The human voice is capable of producing a broad range of intensity from a faint whisper to an ear-splitting scream, but most people only use a small part of that range.”

Let’s say we measured this vocal range on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is a whisper, and 10 is the loudest roar you could produce. I find that most people tend to speak between level 1 and level 5, and some rarely get above a level 3. When they do this, they are only using less than half of their capacity, and so their message is unlikely to be heard. What stops them raising their voice any further is a feeling that speaking any louder would be unnatural. Break through this self-imposed barrier, and the world is your vocal oyster!

“Tip for reluctant presenters – if you do not feel as if you are unnaturally loud, then you are almost certainly speaking too quietly.”

How to expand your vocal comfort zone

Tips for softly spoken speakers:

Give yourself permission to speak louder
I know this may sound a bit “woo-woo” to some people, but before you dismiss it, think about it. Many physical conditions are underpinned by a psychological component. Our beliefs are immensely powerful and the first step may be to challenge or question them. Go “inside” and ask yourself “Am I OK with speaking louder when I want to?” then pay attention to the feeling you get. If you get a positive response, that’s great. If you don’t, then there is probably something deeper holding you back, and you may benefit from visiting an NLP or CBT therapist to help you dissolve that blockage before proceeding.

Learn to speak from your diaphragmHaving addressed possible psychological causes, then the next step is to look at physical voice projection. Trying to force yourself to speak louder isn’t the answer. Speech volume and the ability to project your voice is controlled, not by your vocal cords but by your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped sheet of muscle that sits below our lungs. When the diaphragm contracts it flattens, reducing the pressure in our chest cavity and sucking in air, which expands our lungs. When the diaphragm relaxes it pushes up into our chest cavity, increasing the pressure and forcing air out over our vocal cords

Consider engaging a voice coach or singing teacherIf neither of the above solutions is helping, it may be worth investing in some professional voice work.

“You may find it helpful to remember that your voice is powered by a column of air and that the deeper you breathe, the longer that column of air and the better you will be able to project when you breathe out.”

Tips for overly loud speakers:

If you have a naturally loud voice, then you face a different challenge, and you still have work to do. An overly loud voice, particularly if used continually, can have damaging effects on the way you are perceived. Take a lesson from professional communicators and storytellers and learn to modulate your speech volume to give much-needed contrast. Being able to tone down your volume can create a much more intimate atmosphere that draws in your audience, as well as giving their ears much-needed respite.

“A good speech needs light and shade”

Look out for the next post in this series which will focus on how to vary your pitch.